Background
Wallis was born on 11 January 1774 to a theatrical family in Richmond although her paternal grandfather was a church minister in Ireland.
Wallis was born on 11 January 1774 to a theatrical family in Richmond although her paternal grandfather was a church minister in Ireland.
Her talent was adopted and championed by Lord and Lady Loughborough from 1785 and she went on to appear at Covent Garden in 1789. Wallis was a popular performer who sometimes experienced mixed reviews. Some thought that her success was largely due to her adoption by the Lord Chancellor of England.
She was particularly successful as an actress in Bath for several years.
She was brought back to London to appear at Convent Garden by Thomas Harris who was trying to compete with competition from Drury Lane. This speech added to her noble reputation.
At Convent Garden she was introduced as "Mission Wallis from Bath" and she appeared in a large number of leading roles. By this time she had said to have lost her nerve for playing leading roles.
Wallis had been painted by John Graham and George Romney.